After crazy weekend, business as usual for Oregon

After crazy weekend, business as usual for Oregon

After a weekend rife with rumors and speculation, Chip Kelly and the Oregon Ducks are right back where they started.

Oregon's enigmatic head coach flirted with a trio of NFL teams over three days before deciding late Sunday to stay with the No. 5 Ducks.

On Monday it was back to business. Kelly was at a coaches' convention in Tennessee. Oregon did not formally announce Kelly's decision - for the school his status hadn't changed, he's still the head coach - but athletic director Rob Mullens told reporters he was obviously ''ecstatic'' about it.

It was an anticlimactic end to the whirlwind that started soon after Oregon's 35-17 Fiesta Bowl victory over Kansas State on Thursday night.

Kelly was peppered with questions about whether he would entertain NFL offers in the days leading up to the bowl game and immediately after it. He told reporters: ''I'll listen and we'll see.''

On Friday, he met with the Cleveland Browns. The interview went on for some seven hours, and by the end of the night, sources close to the team were telling the media that Kelly was ''close'' to signing a deal.

But the next day, Kelly went ahead and met for a reported nine hours with the Philadelphia Eagles about their open coaching position. Somewhere in the midst of all that, he also spoke to the Buffalo Bills.

The roller coaster even took a comical turn when musician Mat Kearney released a song entitled ''Chip Don't Go,'' on YouTube. Kearney, a Eugene native, joked in the song: ''They don't have half the heart or the jerseys.''

By midday Sunday, The Associated Press learned that the Browns had started looking elsewhere because they weren't sure Kelly's heart was in the NFL.

That night, sources connected to Oregon and the Philadelphia Eagles confirmed an ESPN report that Kelly would remain in Eugene.

Mullens said renegotiation of Kelly's contract with the Ducks was not discussed, and he did not know the details of his coach's decision-making process. Mullens did admit to lobbying for Oregon.

''I don't want to speculate on anything, other than to say I think we have something special here. It's a great place. We have a very passionate fan base. We have a unique culture,'' Mullens said. ''I think it's one of the best jobs in all of football. Not just college football, I think it's one of the best jobs in football. I think that weighs heavily.''

Mullens said he was prepared to open a nationwide search for new coach had Kelly decided to leave.

Kelly has not commented publicly on the matter: Mullens explained he was focused on obligations at the convention and then would turn his attention to recruiting.

Kelly is 46-7 in four years as head coach at Oregon. The Ducks have been to four straight BCS bowl games - including a bid for the national championship against Auburn two seasons ago - and have won three Pac-12 championships.

He originally came to the Ducks in 2007 as offensive coordinator under Mike Bellotti. Before that, he was offensive coordinator at New Hampshire, where he started devising the innovative hurry-up offense the Ducks are known for today.

Oregon finished last season 12-1. The team was ranked No. 1 and appeared headed for another shot at the national championship until a 17-14 overtime loss to Stanford on Nov. 17.

The team will return two of its most dynamic players next season: redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota, and speedy sophomore running back De'Anthony Thomas, who ran for a 94-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff of the Fiesta Bowl.

But there may also be some challenges: Oregon still faces possible NCAA sanctions based on its use of recruiting services.

Reports surfaced in 2011 concerning payments Oregon made to two such services, including a 25,000 check sent to Willie Lyles and Houston-based Complete Scouting Services in 2010. Lyles had a relationship with a player who committed to Oregon.

Earlier this year, Oregon requested a summary disposition in the case. The school presented a report to the infractions committee outlining violations the school believed occurred and appropriate sanctions. But Yahoo Sports reported that the two sides could not reach an agreement and now the matter is headed for a hearing, as early as this spring.

And there's certainly no evidence Kelly has ruled out a future in the NFL.

It's hard to argue that his stock has fallen in any way because of the failed courtship by four teams, including his talks with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers early last year. Kelly obviously has a proven offensive mindset.

That said, there was already speculation that he might be waiting for his ''dream'' job with the New England Patriots, a seat currently held by Bill Belichick.

Only Kelly knows, and he's not saying.

ANNE M. PETERSON with the report

Ducks flying north to Spokane in dominant fashion

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Ducks flying north to Spokane in dominant fashion

How Oregon won: If you wanted high-scoring, fast-paced, an all-around offensive efficient battle, then you came to the right game. Two of the top-10 leading team scorers battled head-to-head in a matchup that did not disappoint with 174 total points scored. Both teams off to a hot start as buckets were raining from the ceiling of Matthew Knight Arena in front of a full house. But in the end, it was all Oregon on both sides of the court with an 101-73 victory over No. 10 Minnesota in round two of the NCAA tournament in Eugene, OR.

“Had to have been a fun game to watch for a fan to watch, it wasn’t always fun to be a coach to watch,” said Oregon coach Kelly Graves. “I thought that first half, especially in the first quarter was, that’s high level offensive basketball…”

Offense production was there but the defense was on point tonight and picked up right where it left off Friday evening vs. No. 15 Seattle U. The Ducks held the number three team in the nation in scoring at 85.2 points per game, to just 73 points, 14 in each the second and third quarters. The Ducks defense limited the leader of the Gopher pack Kenisha Bell to just 14 points making sure that there was someone in front of her at all times in Oregon’s zone and clogging the lanes with multiple defenders there to challenge her shot.

Graves said, “I remember at the media timeout, second quarter, we talked about the first team to make a three-minute defensive stand was going to separate themselves from the others and that’s what we did.”

Ducks go on an 11-0 run to close out the first half and take a 51-36 lead. And it didn’t stop there. Oregon outscored Minnesota 30-14 in the third quarter and rode that momentum all the way until the final buzzard.

Sabrina Ionescu was on triple-double watch by the end of the first quarter. She is on another level when the spotlight continues to get brighter. It is remarkable that with so much ice in her veins, Sabrina Ionescu can still heat up. Ionescu’s night finished just shy of yet another triple-double with 29 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. Add in a step-back three-pointer, while getting fouled for the chance at am and-1 and four-point play, but missed the free throw.

What it means: The No. 2 Oregon Ducks hit the road north to Spokane, Washington to continue the next few rounds of March Madness play. The Ducks await the winner of No. 11 Central Michigan (28-4) vs. No. 3 Ohio State (27-6) to be played on Monday, March 19th.

High-flying Ducks: Lead by Ionescu, her partner in crime sophomore forward Ruthy Hebard recorded another double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. This duo combined for 21-of-28 shots from the field. Freshman Satou Sabally, who started tonight with five quick points and finished with 12 total points.

In her final game in Matthew Knight Arena, senior and Eugene native Lexi Bando ended her career in front of Ducks fans doing what she does best: hitting three-pointers. She finished with 11 points hitting three triples.

Foul play: A very clean game from Oregon defensively found no one in any foul trouble.

This time, the defense did not travel. That's a wrap for the Ducks' 2017-2018 season

This time, the defense did not travel. That's a wrap for the Ducks' 2017-2018 season

How Oregon lost: The 2017-2018 season is in the books. The defense did not travel on the road at No. 2 Marquette today. Golden Eagles senior guard Andrew Rowsey could not miss. The 1.75 foot extension of the NIT three-point line proved no different for the fourth ranked NCAA three-point shooting team at .415% as Rowsey finished with 29 points hitting 6-of-11 from behind the arc. No. 3 Oregon ends its season with a 101-92 loss at Marquette in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The tempo was set high from tipoff. Marquette controlled the tempo forcing 13 total Oregon turnovers and capitalizing with 30 points off those turnovers and 36 fast-break points.

Of the first 15 points for the Golden Eagles, 13 of which came off of fast-break opportunities. Marquette hit seven of its first 11 from three-point range and jumped out to a 30-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Ducks had no defensive response for Rowsey, who got off any three-point shot he wanted or forced Oregon to fall for his shot-fake and draw the foul for three free throws.

Oregon quickly fell into a 20-point hole and Marquette kept its foot on the gas until the final buzzard.

The offensive production was there today for Oregon, shooting 54% from the field, but defensively, the Ducks could not find an answer for the Golden Eagles’ fast-paced tempo and hot shooting.

What it means: Although the 2017-2018 season may not have been the finish that the players, staff, and fans had hoped for, the Ducks finished with a 23-win season including a 10-win conference record in the eight season under head coach Dana Altman.

The last time the Ducks were in the NIT tournament, the following year’s team went to the NCAA Sweet 16 in March Madness. With a top incoming recruiting class, the future still looks bright in Eugene. Only four seniors graduating, including two starters, and a young team that saw valuable minutes throughout the entire season will be interesting to follow next season and where they end up.

High-flying Ducks: The Oregon big men got it done on the inside for the Ducks. Lead by redshirt senior MiKyle McIntosh’s 25 points, shot 15-of-18 from the free throw line. Junior transfer Paul White finished with 19 points and four rebounds. Sophomore guard Payton Pritchard, who came out strong with seven quick points, had the rest of his offensive production come late finishing with 16 points. Freshman Victor Bailey Jr., had another nice game once again off the bench finishing with 11 points, most of which this time coming from inside the three-point line.

Foul play: White finished with four fouls and McIntosh, freshmen Kenny Wooten and Troy Brown finished with three fouls.

Another triple-double; Another ankle-breaker; another day at the office for No. 2 Oregon

Another triple-double; Another ankle-breaker; another day at the office for No. 2 Oregon

How Oregon won: Another triple-double, another ankle-breaking crossover, just another win for the Oregon Ducks. But it all came at the right time. Since defeating Stanford to claim the Pac-12 tournament title for the first time in school history, the No. 2 Ducks picked up right where they left off in round one of the NCAA March Madness tournament vs. No. 15 Seattle University with a commanding 88-45 win at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.

“I thought we played really well right from the get go,” said Oregon coach Kelly Graves. “When I saw our team diving for loose balls, early in that game, I could tell that this wasn’t just another game that we were just going to go through the motions and win this thing. These guys really wanted to compete.”

Seattle University coach Suzy Barcomb said of Oregon, “I truthfully do think they should be a Final Four team…”

Lead by her tenth career triple-double, sophomore guard Sabrina Ionescu shined once again in the spotlight. Ionescu finished with 19 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, and she accomplished all of this in just 31 minutes. With one rebound to go to complete her triple-double, the crowd of Oregon fans began to subtly boo when other Oregon players got the rebound. All in good fun and in support of Ionescu, the NCAA record-holder for career triple-doubles. At last, she finally grabbed her final rebound, was immediately taken out of the game by Graves, and for the remaining nine minutes of the game, Ionescu was pumping up her teammates from the bench.

Coming off a deep tournament run last season, the Ducks were hungry for more coming out tonight and in front of their home crowd.

“Less nerves? No, I think I was nervous, I think our team was nervous,” said Ionescu. “Seeding doesn’t matter, I think we learned that last year. We came out and we were hungry for wins, and we wanted to play and we hung in their with 2-seed’s, 3-seed’s, 4-seed’s, so seeding didn’t matter. It just felt different because we were at home and we had the crowd on our side.”

It was just clicking on both ends of the floor tonight for Oregon. What started on the defensive end was finished on offensive with swift ball movement and establishing both an inside and outside game. Oregon got off to a hot start forcing four quick turnovers getting hands in the passing lanes and deflecting balls. The Ducks held Seattle scoreless for just over five minutes.

What it means: The Ducks will play the No. 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers in round two of the Spokane Region tournament at 7:30 PM at Matthew Knight Arena. Minnesota comes in as the number three scoring offense in the country, so Oregon will have to bring it on the defensive front once again.

“They have quick guards and they move the ball well, they shoot the ball well,” said Ionescu. “It will be a tough team, but I think we are prepared, especially playing through the Pac-12 and our preseason games. I think it prepares us for March, so I’m excited to play another game.”

High-flying Ducks: Five Oregon players scored in double digits tonight. Lead by Ionescu's 19 points, junior Oti Gildon came up huge off the bench finishing with 16 points and six rebounds. Sophomore forward Ruthy Hebard was once again a force down low finishing with 12 points and one rebound shy of a double-double. Senior Lexi Bando, playing in her final collegiate tournament, finished with 11 points on 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Finally, junior guard Maite Cazorla finished with 10 points and zero turnovers.

Oregon scored 54 points in the paint, partly due to Hebard and Gildon making their presence known down low.

Oregon is Victor-(BaileyJr)-ious in round 1 of NIT

Oregon is Victor-(BaileyJr)-ious in round 1 of NIT

How Oregon won: The Ducks picked up right where they left off in Las Vegas last weekend for the Pac-12 tournament: slow start, better middle, even better ending. In the first round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), the No. 3 Ducks hosted the No. 6 Rider Broncs at Matthew Knight Arena, in front of a mere 2,327 Oregon fans. The shooting struggles continued from the Pac-12 tournament into the first quarter, that is until Oregon freshman Victor Bailey Jr., checked in off the bench. Bailey hit seven three-pointers and co-lead Oregon to a first-round NIT victory 99-86 over Rider.

“I know the guys were disappointed, I was disappointed, at halftime,” said Oregon coach Dana Altman. “We were beat in every category. Second chance points, bad turnovers, easy baskets. You know our energy level was just really bad. No communication defensively. It was not a good have and we were probably fortunate to only be down eight, as poorly as we played.”

Oregon shot just 33.3% on 5-of-15 from the field in the first quarter and trailed Rider 21-15. Add that to nine first-half turnovers (dribbling off foot, bad passes, stepping out of bounds) and the Ducks were the definition of “rocky start”.

Altman continued, “Second half, we didn’t get off to a real good start, but once we started clicking, and got a few shots down, the energy level went way up. VJ (Bailey Jr.) really likes to play when the ball is going in. He did a really nice job shooting the ball and giving us some energy…”

Bailey Jr., finished co-leading the Ducks with 23 points off the bench shooting 7-of-8 from behind the “new” NIT three-point line (extend an extra foot and eight inches).

What it means: The Ducks survived and advance to the next round of the NIT and awaits the winner of No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 7 Harvard.

Last weekend where the Ducks relied on senior leadership from MiKyle McIntosh and Elijah Brown during the Pac-12 tournament, tonight it was the underclassmen. Freshmen Bailey Jr., and Kenny Wooten got it done on both ends of the court. Shot-blocking phenom Wooten added three more blocks to his season stats tonight. Although Rider did outscore the Ducks in the paint 50-34, Wooten still managed to make his presence known. A number of those Rider points came in the first half with mis-communication in Oregon’s zone and getting the ball behind the big men down low.

Wooten recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

High-flying Ducks: With Bailey Jr., feeling it from downtown, that cause the Rider defense to push out to guard the perimeter leaving driving lanes more open for sophomore guard Payton Pritchard and freshman guard Troy Brown. Pritchard also finished with 23 points and added eight assists. Brown recorded eight points and seven rebounds. Elijah Brown had a quiet 18 points hitting 3-of-6 from three-point range.

Foul play: Troy Brown and McIntosh each finished with four fouls. Junior Paul White finished with three fouls.

Up next: The Ducks await the winner of No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 7 Harvard tomorrow night. Home court advantage is based on seeding, so if Marquette wins, Oregon will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If Harvard wins, Oregon will host the next round of the NIT.

Big Dance hopes on the line for Oregon vs. USC in Pac-12 semifinal game

Big Dance hopes on the line for Oregon vs. USC in Pac-12 semifinal game

It’s been a dramatic journey for Oregon to reach the Pac-12 tournament semifinal game.

The Ducks trailed by as many as 11 points to Utah in the second half of the quarterfinal game, but a late rally and some last-minute heroics from MiKyle McIntosh and a game saving block from Kenny Wooten sealed the 68-66 victory over No.3 seed Utah

Oregon will face No. 2 seed USC at 8:30 p.m., Friday night. USC has topped Oregon in close victories in the schools’ two meetings so far this season.

On Jan. 18, the Trojans beat Oregon, 75-70, in Eugene and then earned a 72-70 victory over the Ducks at the Galen Center on Feb. 15.

USC’s Jordan McLaughlin has been a handful for Oregon this season. He had a near triple-double in the first meeting with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. In the second game, he had a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists.

USC had a first game bye and then held Oregon State to 31 percent shooting in a 61-48 victory to reach the semifinal game. Chimezie Metu had 22 points and 11 rebounds and two blocks in the Trojans victory over the Beavers.

Oregon has played eight straight games that have been decided by single digits, including three that went to overtime.

Will the comeback Ducks strike again? Oregon is in a position where they likely need to win the Pac-12 Tournament to get to the NCAA Tournament.

The Trojans have the resume of a bubble team, another win would be a significant boost to their tournament resume.

Today won't technically be the first time that the Oregon Ducks take the field under new coach Mario Cristobal when spring drills begin. But in many ways it will be.

The actual first time Cristobal led the Oregon football team onto a field of any kind occurred in early December shortly after Willie Taggart departed for Florida State, leaving the Ducks in disarray.

Cristobal did his best to right the ship in time for the Las Vegas Bowl just 10 days later but he simply didn't have enough time to fix the mess at hand. The players, who lobbied for Cristobal to replace Taggart, didn't successfully make the transition from "Do Something" to disappointment and then back to contentment under their new leader (save for defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt being bent out of shape he didn't replace Taggart) in time to avoid a 38-28 loss to Boise State in Sin City.

There was simply too much disruption in play, and that included star running back Royce Freeman electing not to play in the bowl game in order to avoid a potential injury before departing to the NFL.

So, let's give Cristobal, the staff (those who returned) and the players the benefit of that doubt that what we saw in Las Vegas was an aberration and that the new era under a man who won national titles as a player at Miami (1989 and 1991) and as an assistant coach at Alabama (2015) begins today with a clean slate.

What Cristobal inherited was a team that should win at least eight games in 2018 given the presence of junior quarterback Justin Herbert, the return of several key players on what was a greatly improved defense, and a weak schedule that included three non-conference powder puffs.

Reaching 10 wins, or more, will require maintaining the momentum created by Taggart, keeping Herbert healthy (UO went 1-4 in his absence last year due to a broken collarbone) and flushing the offense's showing in Las Vegas while recapturing the magic that had the Ducks averaging about 50 points per game during the regular season when Herbert was in action.

"I think last year there was a foundation laid between all of us that gave us a chance to start building upon that but there's a big difference between winning seven games and winning eight, nine, 10, 11," Cristobal said.

To reach those levels the Ducks (7-6 last season) must have success against Washington, Stanford and the Chip Kelly-led UCLA Bruins at home, while also finding a way to win potentially tough road games at Arizona and Utah.

The problem is that there is much mystery to unravel before anyone can rightfully believe that Oregon is going to find those 10 wins and contend in the Pac-12 North.

Cristobal hasn't been a head coach since being fired from the same position with Florida International in 2012 after going 27-47. The Ducks are on their third coach in 15 months (Mark Helfrich was fired in December of 2016). Backup quarterback remains a huge issue. Wide receiver is in flux. The defensive line lacks depth. Freeman is gone.

Plus, Oregon's aura as a dominant force has waned. The conference is not longer chasing Oregon. The Ducks are the one doing the hunting. And there's reason to believe that the hierarchy of conference coaches are not shaking in their boots fearful of the Cristobal era sweeping through the conference and laying waste to opponents.

None of this is to say that Cristobal won't find success. He very well could. He also very well could not.

We won't know the results for months. But that process begins today.

Notes: UO will practice five times in March before taking time off for finals and spring break before returning to the field on April 3 to prepare for the spring game on April 21 in Autzen Stadium...Oregon will hold a practice at Franklin High School in Portland on April 7. The Ducks practiced at Jesuit High School last spring.

Ionescu shines in Ducks' biggest moment

Ionescu shines in Ducks' biggest moment

Big time players make big time plays in big time games. In one of the biggest games of her young career, Oregon sophomore guard Sabrina Ionescu had a little "twinkle in her eye", according to Oregon coach Kelly Graves, coming into tonight's Pac-12 tournament finals vs. the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal. Ionescu went off for a career high and Pac-12 championship record 36 points to lead the No. 1 Oregon Ducks past the Cardinal 77-57 in Seattle, WA.

This is the Ducks' first ever Pac-12 tournament championship in program history.

Over the last 12 months- 1st NCAA trip since 2005- 1st Sweet 16- 1st Elite Eight- Best ranking in UO history (6) - Most wins in a season- Most league wins in a season- 1st Pac-12 regular season title since 2000- 1st ever Pac-12 Tournament title#GoDuckspic.twitter.com/LEZcetQp3e

What was the key to success? Rewind to the beginning of February, and the Ducks had just suffered their second conference loss to the Cardinal at home at Matthew Knight Arena. Tonight, it was a different story and some "unfinished business" to attend to.

"I thought our energy was great, we were active, our feet and our hands were active," said Graves. "We didn't get out and trap much but I just thought we were on point and dialed in. We decided to play them outside-in to try to take away that three-point game the best we could, make them make baskets around the hoop and we did that."

Ionescu, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, finished with 36 points shooting 14-of-24 from the field, four rebounds, four assists, and four steals. The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Satou Sabally recorded 12 points hitting 3-of-5 from three-point range. Sophomore forward Ruthy Hebard was one rebound shy of another double-double and finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. Junior guard Maite Cazorla finished with 10 points and six assists.

Survive & Advance. Ducks flying into Pac-12 title game

Survive & Advance. Ducks flying into Pac-12 title game

How Oregon won: The Ducks and Bruins picked up right where they left off 12 nights ago in Eugene, OR. This game, including the build-up to tip off, was nothing short of edge-of-your-seat entertainment on both sides of the court. From start to finish, this was a back-and-forth gripping battle, in which both Oregon coach Kelly Graves and UCLA coach Cori Close quoted as "an Elite Eight level game" and "Final Four" caliber. But in the end, it was all Ducks. Closing out on a 10-0 run, holding the Bruins scoreless in the final five minutes, and senior Lexi Bando hitting a huge three-pointer was the formula for success. No. 1 tournament seed Oregon fought all the way to the finish and defeats the No. 4 UCLA Bruins 65-62 in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals in Seattle, WA.

The Ducks will advance to the Pac-12 tournament finals for the first time in program history.

Graves said, "I don't typically get that emotional but that was a heck of a game. We didn't show many signs that we were going to win that thing until late. Didn't appear at times to be our day and these guys just gutted it out. I thought defensively, late in that game, man we ran I think four possessions of man-to-man against htem in our first two games combined and we went man-to-man most of the night tonight and I thought out kids did a really good job and held a high-scoring team down."

Two, momentum-swinging runs from the Ducks, proved to be the catalyst in this game. Late in the second quarter, the Ducks found themselves in a 13-point hole, down 32-19 with 4:22 remaining. It was three-pointers from Bando, sophomore Sabrina Ionescu, and junior Maite Cazorla that swung the momentum back on the Ducks' side heading into the locker room at halftime down just two points.

"Well anytime you play UCLA, you know they're going to make runs," said Graves. "That's the kind of team they are, they feed off turnovers, long rebounds, those kinds of things. We are fortunate that we made the last one. I thought our 13-2 run late in the second quarter, I thought was the key to the game in a lot of ways just because it gave us a lot of momentum going in. I thought the first half we were as poor offensively as we've been, but we atleast got a bit of life. Lexi hit one of those big three's... seems like everytime she hits one of those three's it almost counts four or five because it seems to give us a lift."

What it means: The Ducks now await the winner of the second semifinal between the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal vs. the No. 6 Arizona State Sun Devils.

It seemed as though UCLA won most stat categories tonight vs. Oregon. Total rebounds: 39-31, advantage UCLA; offensive rebounds: 17-8, advantage UCLA; points in the paint: 26-22, advantage UCLA; second-chance points: 14-7, advantage UCLA; and points off turnovers: 12-4, advantage, you guessed it, UCLA. So what went wrong? Or rather, what did Oregon do better. The Ducks only lead by a total of 4:04, but made every second count. Oregon shot the ball 9-of-19 (47%) from behind the arc, went 10-of-15 from the free-throw line, only committed seven personal fouls (a season-low), and got the ball into it's hot-handed shooters.

"It almost seemed the whole arena was filled with Oregon fans," said Ionescu following the game. "It was really nice and inspiring to see. I was firing them up and they stood with us throughout the whole game. We were down 13, they were still pumping us on and cheering us on, and that's really nice to see. We hope they come out tomorrow and continue to help us get this win."

High flying Ducks: Four Ducks finished in double figures. Lead by Ionescu's 17 points, three rebounds, and five assists, sophomore forward Ruthy Hebard recorded another double-double, her 11th of the season, with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Cazorla finished with 14 points and four rebounds. Bando finished with 11 points going 3-for-5 from three-point range.

Foul play: Freshman Satou Sabally and sophomore Mallory McGwire finished with two fouls a piece. Sabally also left the game with an apparent injury in the fourth quarter.

Up next: The Ducks await the winner of the 2nd Pac-12 tournament semifinal between Stanford and Arizona State. The game will be at 6 PM (PT) Sunday evening in Seattle, WA.

Royce Freeman performed well at the NFL Combine

Royce Freeman performed well at the NFL Combine

Former Oregon running back Royce Freeman ran the 40-yard dash in an impressive 4.54 seconds on Friday at the NFL Scouting Comibine in Indianapolis, Ind.

His time ranked tied for ninth among the running backs invited to this year's scouting event and made all that more impressive by Freeman's weight of 229 pounds.

A negative, however, was that Freeman benched 225 pounds just 17 times, which ranked tied for 12th among running backs. Seven running backs did 20 reps or more. One would have though that Freeman, given his size and power, would have done better in this event.

Freeman did demonstrate great quickness for his size by performing well in the 3-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle.

It was a strong overall showing for Freeman, who shouldn't remain on the draft board beyond the third round.